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Posts By: Western Growers

March, 2026
State Water Board Releases Draft Report of Recommendations of the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) has released the draft report of recommendations of the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel (Panel). The draft encompasses Panel recommendations on issues relevant to the Panel charge questions, which ask the Panel to consider the approaches in State Water Board Order WQ 2018-0002, In the Matter of Review of Waste Discharge…

The 2026 Western Food Safety Conference Comes to Salinas on May 6–7

The Western Food Safety Conference will take place May 6–7 in Salinas, CA. Now in its 21st year, the conference has become a cornerstone event for advancing food safety education, research and collaboration across the fresh produce industry. Bringing together leaders from industry, academia and regulatory agencies, the conference creates a unique forum to share critical insights, explore…

“Dirty Dozen” List Again Smears Safe, Healthy Produce

(Washington, DC) - The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) “Dirty Dozen” report once again villainizes safe, healthy, and affordable fruits and vegetables by misrepresenting U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pesticide data. In its usual approach, EWG overstates the risk of consumer pesticide exposure by leaving out a key detail: more than 99% of the commodities sampled by the U.S.…

State Water Board Seeks Input on Agricultural Expert Panel Draft Report

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is accepting public comments on the Recommendations of the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel (Panel) Draft Report (Draft Panel Report), offering stakeholders an opportunity to help shape future water quality and agricultural policies. The Draft Panel Report will be available on or before March 30, 2026, on the…

Western Growers, SCFBA Among 54 Groups Calling on Administration for Farmer Support

Severe weather, high expenses and global uncertainty are hitting farmers from all sides, squeezing them to the breaking point. Fifty-four agriculture groups laid out the challenges facing rural America in a letter to President Trump today. The letter recognizes progress made last year in enhancing farm risk management tools and securing much-needed tax relief for farmers, but says additional…

Reservoir Opens Specialty Crop AgTech Innovation Center

Partners Create High-Density Hub of Innovators and Growers to Accelerate R&D and Field-Ready Technology for Food Production Salinas, CA, March 17, 2026 – Reservoir today officially opened Reservoir Farms - Salinas, its flagship on-farm innovation hub for specialty crops, turning its vision for an on-farm agtech innovation center into a working reality. The new site features multiple…

You’re Invited: Ag Leaders to Host California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum – April 1 in Fresno

A broad coalition of more than 30 agricultural organizations will host a California gubernatorial candidate forum focused on affordability and rural issues in the state. The California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum: Affordability and Rural California will bring together many of the major gubernatorial candidates from both parties for a substantive discussion on the issues shaping the future…

Produce Safety Alliance Seeks Feedback for Pilot Grower Training Course

The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) is developing Version 2.0 of its Grower Training (GT) course curriculum and is inviting members of the produce industry to help pilot the updated program. To ensure balanced representation across stakeholder groups, a selection process to participate in these courses is being conducted using a Qualtrics survey. PSA is targeting these four specific groups: …

Specialty Crops Applaud Committee Approval of H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 5, 2026) — The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) issued the following statement on the approval of H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, by the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. “The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance commends Chairman Thompson for his leadership, and we are grateful to the House Agriculture Committee for advancing…

Zoila Chevez Supports Produce Safety Through Data and Research at Western Growers 

Zoila joined Western Growers in September 2025, where she supports data quality initiatives and works to standardize large datasets from GreenLink. She is particularly interested in how structured, reliable data can strengthen safety systems and enable risk- and evidence-based decision-making. As an up-and-coming professional in the fresh produce industry, Zoila is eager to learn as much…